Conventional tufting machines for use in the formation of carpets and other tufted articles typically can include one or more needle bars carrying a series of spaced needles, with the needle bars being driven in a vertically reciprocated fashion by operation of a main drive shaft of the tufting machine so that the needles are reciprocated into and out of a backing material being fed through the tufting machine. Yarn feed mechanisms feed yarns to each of the needles of the needle bar or needle bars, with the yarns being carried into the backing material with the penetration of the needles through the backing material, whereupon the needles are engaged by loop pile loopers, cut pile hooks, or other gauge parts for forming a series of loop and/or cut pile tufts of yarns in the backing material. The backing material further generally will be fed through the tufting machine by a series of backing feed rolls, which typically include elongated spiked rolls engaging and feeding the backing material through the tufting machine.
In the past, it has been known to shift the backing feed rolls transversely to provide for desired tufted effects. However, due to the size of conventional backing feed rolls, which can, for example, extend across the width of the tufting machine, it can be difficult to accurately control the shifting of the backing feed rolls. In addition, due to their size, it also generally is necessary to support the backing feed rolls at spaced locations along the length of the backing feed rolls extending across the tufting machine to resist deflection of the backing feed rolls. For example, a series of brackets or saddles can be used to support the backing feed rolls while allowing for the sliding of the backing feed rolls thereacross to thus enable the lateral shifting movement of the backing feed rolls. Such shifting movements can subject these saddles or brackets to significant wear due to the movement of the backing feed rolls thereacross, often causing the saddles or support brackets to quickly wear out, requiring their replacement.
Accordingly, it can be seen that a need exists for a system and method for controlling the shifting of the backing material as it is fed through a tufting machine, which addresses the foregoing and other related and unrelated problems in the art.